This vegan flapjack almost caused a riot on the last Thighs of Steel London ‘club’ ride. Dense, nutritious, spicy and with a strong chocolate bite. What more could you want after a beasty climb?
The base flapjack recipe is inspired by Andrew Hardwick.
Ingredients
- 125g porridge oats
- 125g jumbo oats
- 150g vegan block
- 100g crystallised ginger (finely chopped)
- An ill-defined scoop of ground ginger
- 2 bananas (smooshed) or a dozen chopped dates (or a combo of both)
- Optional: a load of mixed nuts and dried fruit
- For the chocolate coating: at least 200g (yep) 90% (yep) dark chocolate and a smattering of chilli flakes (thanks for that suggestion, CH)
Method
- On a low heat, melt down the vegan block, bananas, dates and ginger until you’ve got a thick paste
- Stir in the oats and nuts (if you’re using them)
- Line a small baking tray (19x23x3cm — smaller than you expect) with greaseproof paper or use a bit of vegan block to grease it up real nice
- Smoosh the flapjack mixture firmly into the tray
- Smoosh it down some more using a heavy weight
- Bake at 175C for 25-odd minutes
- When you take it out of the oven, the flapjack should be visibly soft and beginning to brown
While the flapjack is baking, prepare the chocolate.
This process is called tempering and makes sure that the chocolate doesn’t change molecular structure and go all sticky on your fingers:
- Boil some water in a pan
- Put HALF the chocolate into a glass bowl or measuring jug (one that fits into the pan)
- Turn off the heat on the water (or leave it on really low)
- Put the chocolate jug into the pan
- Wait for the chocolate to melt gently, then add the remaining solid chocolate
- When the chocolate’s all melted (this will take some time), stir in the chilli flakes
- Pour the chocolate over the flapjack and spread thickly
Finishing off:
- While the flapjack is still soft, cut the flapjack into whatever size slices you want
- Once the tray is cool enough for the fridge, whack it in there
Now share with friends after a badass hill climb.